Strater Hotel
699 Main Ave. - Durango
970.247.4431
Get on board and experience the charm, history and excitement.
Inside the Strater:
Mahogany Grille
Henry Strater Theater

The Jewelry Works
965 Main Ave - Durangp
970.247.3173
Creators of custom one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Silver Summit
970-387-0240 - Silverton
Full and half day jeep rentals - ghost towns, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife.

Grand Imperial Hotel
800.341.3340 - Silverton
Featured in John Fielder's "Best of Colorado". Live Honky tonk piano. Also Grumpy's Restaurant and Saloon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Full bar with local micro-brews.

"A Green Train?" D&SNG Does its Part to Protect the Planet

- by Indiana Reed

"Going Green" is not something most would associate with coal-fired steam engines, but for the owners of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, making a concerted effort to shrink the carbon footprint is the "right thing to do," even if perhaps not the simplest.

Maintaining the authenticity of the railroad is vitally important to rail fans throughout the world, as well as to the owners of the D&SNG, and that necessitates continued burning of coal, said to contribute to climate change. Opportunities do exist, however, for offsetting
the emissions, and the community, recognizing the importance of the railroad to the local economy, has stepped up to assist the D&SNG in "going green."

Nine of the area's local service clubs, led by Durango High Noon Rotary, have encouraged their members to purchase "Green Power," or electricity generated from a renewable resource, to offset the carbon emissions of the engines. The goal was met in 2008, and club members are now purchasing through La Plata Electric Association, 5,000 green power blocks, or 5.2 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy. This offsets 100 percent of the railroad's carbon emissions, and club members have pledged to maintain their commitment for as long as the railroad operates.

Further, to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the railroad's vehicle fleet, the D&SNG has worked with the local organization CarbonZero in the Durango Urban Reforestation Project. The railroad is financing the planting of more than 2,500 trees in the community, which will sequester an amount of carbon equal to emissions of 13 trucks and 4 busses over their useful life.

All this does not mean the railroad isn't also doing what it can to improve Durango's air quality by reducing emissions on the coal fired engines - and technology continues to make it easier. The most successful effort has been installation of scrubbers on the roundhouse stacks. A coal-fired engine never turns off, but its emissions, while idling, can be mitigated with such innovative features.

Also through the night, the railroad is now using compressed sawdust wood pellets, a byproduct of the manufacturing at Muscanell Millworks, located in neighboring Mancos, Colo. This has allowed for further reduction in smoke and particulates during the idling hours.

The goal is to achieve a 10 percent reduction in smoke and particulate emissions each year, according to railroad owner Al Harper, and he has pledged to invest $1 million in this long-term effort.